The invention relates to a device for separating sausages from a sausage string on which the sausages are connected via a twist point, at which at least one clip is located, and to a method for this purpose.
A method and a device of the above-mentioned type have been disclosed, for example, by DE 43 18 301 C2 (U.S. Pat. No. 5,421,137), in which the sausages are transported by transport elements to a cutting point and are separated there from the sausage string by a cutting element. In front of this cutting point, a twist point between two sausages is determined by means of a sensor, the sensor determining a voltage drop and a voltage rise at the twist point and determining therefrom an image (contour) of the twist point between the sausages. In this way, and by means of the speed of the transport elements, the instant at which the cutting elements are active at the cutting point is determined. The cutting element is a crescent-shaped cutter which is driven by a servomotor.
The object of the present invention is to improve a device of the above-mentioned type in such a way that it becomes possible to sever a twist point as carefully as possible and in particular remove a clip provided there.
This object is achieved by virtue of the fact that a cutter, with its cutting edge, rotates about the twist point in a cutting manner in front of and/or behind the clip.
In accordance with the method according to the invention, a cutter is moved toward the twist point, so that the cutting edge bears against the twist point in a cutting manner, the cutter then being rotated about the twist point and severing the twist point in the process. The advantage of this method is that the twist point is severed in a substantially more careful manner, since the twist point is not punched by the cutter, but is cut.
The cutter preferably has at least two blades, which are arranged one behind the other in the transport direction of the sausage. This configuration of the cutter makes it possible for one or more clips to be received between the two blades, said clips then being removed together with the corresponding part of the twist point.
In order to make it possible to rotate the cutter, it is preferably to be arranged on a rotary ring. In this case, the cutter is located within the rotary ring, the cutting edges of the cutter or of the blades preferably projecting slightly beyond the center point of the rotary ring. The cutter is arranged approximately radially relative to the rotary ring.
The rotary ring is rotated by means of a servomotor. The invention thus utilizes the known advantages of the servomotor. Furthermore, this rotary ring is to be movable in the vertical. This means that, with the rotary ring, the cutter and thus the cutting edges are also brought up to the twist point, in which case the cutting edges, after the end of the movement in the vertical, are also to penetrate slightly into the twist point or at least exert slight pressure on the twist point.
Furthermore, the rotary ring is arranged on a supporting ring. The rotary ring is to be rotatable relative to this supporting ring, so that bearings, in particular ball bearings, are accordingly provided between supporting ring and rotary ring.
The rotary ring is rotated relative to the supporting ring by means of the above-mentioned servomotor, the latter being connected to the rotary ring via a corresponding drive pinion and a drive element, in particular a drive chain. In addition, the supporting ring has a corresponding bearing angle, to which the servomotor is fixed. There are many conceivable ways of moving the supporting ring in the vertical. Only by way of example, gear racks may be integrally formed on the supporting ring, pinions engaging in corresponding tooth systems, said pinions being connected via a gear unit to a drive, in particular likewise a servomotor.
It is to be emphasized that, when the cutter blades are rotated about the twist point, the twist point and in particular the clips are cut off, and, apart from that, lateral yielding of the sausages is countered by the transport elements shown in DE 43 18 301 C2 (U.S. Pat. No. 5,421,137) for the sausage string.